CURE Epilepsy Update November 2023
November 17, 2023
Greetings Epilepsy Community,
We are in the midst of Epilepsy Awareness Month and Thanksgiving is only a few short days away. There is much to update you on!
Some highlights from our incredibly busy month so far . . . We kicked off November with Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland, which was fantastic! There were many, many opportunities for families to gather information on treatments, advancements, and support services. We moderated an inspiring session on a new regenerative cell therapy in development for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, recorded two episodes of Seizing Life, and showcased board member Kelly Cervantes’ new book Normal Broken. The following week, I had the privilege of attending the Isaiah Stone Foundation Golf Tournament in Oklahoma City and joining them in increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of epilepsy while raising funds and enjoying a beautiful day. We also supported our CURE Epilepsy Champions running the NYC Marathon and celebrated the first annual Jeavons Syndrome Awareness Day. And just this week, we participated in a Congressional Briefing by the bipartisan Epilepsy Caucus in Washington DC. All of this and it is only the middle of November!
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week and the blessings that we have in our lives, I want to take a moment and thank you. Thank you for opening and reading this CURE Epilepsy Update. Thank you if you have been a CURE Epilepsy Champion or have run with Team CURE Epilepsy in a marathon. Thank you for following us on social media and helping spread epilepsy awareness as well as the need for more epilepsy research with your network. Thank you to SK Life Science for their generosity in matching all of the donations made during Epilepsy Awareness Month up to $50k. Thank you for choosing to support CURE Epilepsy on Giving Tuesday. Thank you for sharing our vision to live in a world without epilepsy. Thanks to all of you, we are closer now than we have ever been before.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
With gratitude,
In this CURE Epilepsy Update, please find information on:
- Epilepsy Awareness Month
- Giving Tuesday Save the Date
- Recap of the First-Ever Jeavons Syndrome Awareness Day
- What’s New from the Seizing Life® Podcast
- Epilepsy Awareness Month Sale in the CURE Epilepsy Store
- Key Dates on the Epilepsy Community Calendar
Epilepsy Awareness Month
This Epilepsy Awareness Month, CURE Epilepsy is highlighting the journey 1 in 26 people will go through at some point in their lifetime — the epilepsy journey. We’ve already uncovered the first and second points along the journey. Check out the event page for resources on Starting the Epilepsy Journey and Working Towards a Diagnosis, and check back every Monday during Epilepsy Awareness Month for a new point to be uncovered with additional resources.
Giving Tuesday Save the Date
Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving, is just around the corner. You can easily add the event to your calendar for ease below, or you can donate early now! Thanks to the generosity of SK Life Science, all donations through Epilepsy Awareness Month will be matched up to $50,000! Donate today and you can double your impact.
Add Giving Tuesday to your calendar now!
Recap of the First-Ever Jeavons Syndrome Awareness Day
As part of the work that CURE Epilepsy is doing to jump-start conversations on Jeavons syndrome, we were excited to launch an annual awareness day this year on November 13 to draw attention to this little-researched rare epilepsy. Learn more about Epilepsy with Eyelid Myoclonia (EEM), formerly known as Jeavons syndrome, on the event page or read a personal story of a young woman with Jeavons syndrome here.
What’s New from the Seizing Life® Podcast
Epilepsy in Women: Challenges, Concerns, and Considerations
Dr. Elizabeth Gerard, epileptologist and Director of the Women with Epilepsy Program at Northwestern Medicine’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, about the unique concerns specific to women living with epilepsy. From puberty to menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, and menopause, we explore managing epilepsy through all stages of a woman’s life.
NYC Marathoner Achieves Seizure Control and Runs for Epilepsy Research
Kelly speaks with Peter Burpee, who experienced absence epilepsy in childhood and tonic-clonic seizures in his teen years. Peter has gained seizure control and just ran for Team CURE Epilepsy in the NYC Marathon to raise money for epilepsy research.
Watch these and all of our upcoming Seizing Life episodes here.
Epilepsy Awareness Month Sale in the CURE Epilepsy Store
Enjoy 20% off all orders over $50 during Epilepsy Awareness Month in the CURE Epilepsy Store! Sale ends December 1.
Please mark your calendar for the following key dates in the epilepsy community:
- January 1 – December 31, 2023 – CURE Epilepsy’s 25th Anniversary
- November – Epilepsy Awareness Month
- December 1-7 – Infantile Spasms Awareness Week
1 in 26 individuals will be impacted by epilepsy in their lifetime.
Each person has their own story.
